Highly complicated and cost-intensive integrated circuits such as processors are available as components in standardized multipolar housings, such as pin grid array (PGA) or staggered pin grid array (SPGA). For assembly on a circuit board, terminal elements of the integrated circuit, known as pins, are optionally joined directly to terminal elements of the circuit board by soldering, or the integrated circuit is detachably inserted into a socket which is itself soldered onto the circuit board and the electric connections are established between the terminal elements of the integrated circuit and the terminal elements of the circuit board. The greater expense in using a socket as an additional component yields the advantage that it is easy to later replace the integrated circuit, e.g., for repair or for upgrading with a more effective component. With a directly soldered integrated circuit, this would be impossible or could only be done at great expense.
German Utility Patent No. 87 16 007 describes such a socket which is also equipped with a heat sink which is snapped into a carrying frame for cooling purposes. It does not describe any special measures for electromagnetic or electrostatic shielding of the integrated circuit.
German Patent No. 39 22 461 C2 describes a shielding housing which can be used to accommodate various circuits. This housing is essentially cuboid-shaped and has one open side which is closed by the circuit board when the latter is mounted on it. The shielding housing is mounted on the circuit board by inserting four mounting legs provided on the lower edge of the shielding housing in mounting holes on the circuit board and bending them over or soldering them. Circuits accommodated in the shielding housing are soldered directly to the circuit board. This shielding housing disadvantageously makes replacement of components even more difficult. Another disadvantage is that the encapsulation of components has a negative effect on heat dissipation, which must be guaranteed with complex integrated circuits in particular.